The Creative Habit - By Twyla Tharp

Who is it for: Anyone struggling to get things done. People who need discipline. Artists working on big projects. Dancers.

For me, it's always been a struggle to find time to do all the things I want to do. The Creative Habit, by Twyla Tharp, inspired me to completely rethink the way I look at my schedule. In fact, this very website probably would still be months away if not for the advice laid out here.

It's all about adding more structure to your day, and leaving yourself least time to think what should I be doing right now? The way you answer that question is all-to-often counter productive. Most importantly, you should structure your mornings. They are the time of day most likely to send your whole day south.

The goal is to have enough freedom to play while being structured enough not to fall into distraction.

There is a lot of other ideas to consider in this book as well. Another idea I found pretty useful is how she researches for projects. She starts each one with an empty box. As she researches, she fills the box with relevant material. Then, she'll come back to her boxes whenever something isn't working.

Because she is a dancer, this book represents a kind of kinetic creativity underrepresented on this site. Like most creativity books, it includes exercises. But, here, the exercises are more focused on movement. If you are a dancer, you may find some value here.

All and all, amid all the personal anecdotes and lessons, there's a lot of unique ideas here. Click below if it sounds like something you could use. Good luck, and keep exploring.